Binder for package-ties



O. L. MERTZ.

BINDER FOR PACKAGE TIES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. :9. i920.

Patented Mar. 8, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO L. MER'IZ. OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 J U LES HERBERTBENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

- BINDER FOR PACKAGE-TIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 19, 1920. Serial No. 874,875.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, Q'rro L. Mnnrz, a citi zen of the United States, andresident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Binders forPackage-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

11 invention relates to means for dispensing and reissuing package ties.A modified form of my construction is shown in a copending application,Serial No. 3745M, filed even date herewith.

In the handling of small packages, particularly packages of letters bythe Post Oiiice Department, it has been found desirable to employ apackage tie which includes a metal member to which a string or cord ofsuitable length is secured, the tie being used to facilitate the readysecuring of the free end of the cord after it has been passed around thepackage. However, such ties should in the interest of economy he usedrepeatedly and it happens that in some offices there will be a muchlarger receipt of package ties than are needed for outgoing mailresulting in a surplus which should be despatched to a central point andreissued to stations where the reverse condition prevails; that is,where there is a demand for a greater number of package ties than isreceived. This result has been attempted to be accomplished heretoforeby bundling or binding a quantity of the package ties but in eachinstance it has been found that the ties, when so bundled, becomeentangled and inextricably mixed, thus rendering their reuse impossible.

The construction herein disclosed provides for an improvement over thatshown in my co-pending application referr d to in that the spindle onwhich the ties are mounted is not reshipped with a bundle of ties; thusconsiderable weight is eliminated and there is no likelihood ofconfusion due to shortage of spindles at any point.

T he invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dispensing and reissuing deviceconstructed 1n accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a View showing a bundle of ties, the spindle being indicatedin dotted lines;

longitudinal flanges 1.1, which serve to form a channel-shaped member onWhich-the ties are mounted. A foot 12, is formed by head mg the portion10, at right angles, the foot be1ng more or less permanently secured toa table or support 13, by suitable means. At its upper end the web orbody portion 10, is slotted as at 14, for a purpose later to bedescribed. The ties which I prefer to employ consist of a fiat bodyportion 15, each havin a struck-up tongue 16, around which the free endof the tying cord 17, is twisted in a well known manner. The cordengages the tie by means of an aperture and an offset portion 18, asbest shown in Fig. 3. At its opposite end the tie is provided with anelongated opening 19, so shaped as to permit it to engage with thespindle and to hold the ties in relatively fixed relation, thus avoidingthe possibility of tangling of the cords.

A clip, such as best shown in Fig. 1, c0mprises a flat strip 20, havinga hooked portion or tongue 21, adapted to engage with the web 10, of thespindle, the flat portion lying in a channel formed by the flanges 11 ofthe spindle. A cord 22, is secured to the clip, and as shown in Fig. 1,it preferably engages the slot 14. and depends in the channel of thespindle. The clip thus constitutes no material obstruction to theinsertion or removal of ties from the spindle. However, assuming thatthe spindle has become filled with ties and it is desired to ship abundle thereof, the clip is disengaged from the free end of the spindleand the cord 22, on which the ties are threaded, because of the positionof the cord relative to the spindle, is engaged with the tongue 21 ofthe clip and the tics then removed vertically from the spindle. A bundleofties is thus formed which may be disposed of to a central point forreissue as desired. /Vhen received at a new point of use the ties may bemounted upon a similarly shaped spindle if desired and used as required.

I claim:

1. In means of the class described, the

combination'of a relatively fixed spindle, a clip engaging the free endthereof, a cord secured to the clip and adapted to extend downwardly inparallelism. with the spindle, the spindle and cord being adapted toreceive a plurality of package ties,,t he cord being then adapted toengage said clip upon its removal from the spindle in order to bind thepackage ties in a bundle;

2. In a package tie reissuing device, the combination of a' spindle, aclip engaging the free end of the spindle, theclip having a dependingcord adapted to engage the opening in package ties received by saidspindle, said clip being adapted to be vertically removed from thespindle together with the ties and to serve as means 01" attachment forthe free end of said cord in order tobind'the package ties in a bundle.

3. A package tie reissuing device, comprising the' combination with arelatively fixed spindle, of a clip adapted to vertically engage thefree end of the spindle, a cord secured to the clip and adapted to liealongside of the spindle, the spindle and cord being adapted to receivea plurality of package ties, the clip being adapted to be verticallyremoved from the spindle With the ties mounted thereon, the free end ofthe cord with the, ties mounted thereon 'being held by engagementWiththe portion of the clip Which had been in engagement with thespindle. y

4. In package tie reissuing means, the combination of a spindle having aflat body portion provided with a slot at is upper end, a flat cliphaving a hooked end adapted to engage with the body portion of thespindle at its upper end, a cord secured to the clip and adapted to liein the slot in the spindle, the spindle being adapted to receive packageties having openings of a shape corresponding substantially to that ofthe spin dle, a plurality of ties engaging the spindle and the'cord andbeing adapted to be removed from the spindle and be held by the cord,the free end of the cord engaging the hook portion of the clip.

5. in means of the class described, the combination of a spindle ofchannel shape in cross-section, a clip in the form of a fiat striphaving a hooked end, the clip being adapted to be mounted on the freeend of the spindle with its flat portion in the chan 1101 or thespindle, and a cord secured to the clip and adapted to be employed tosecure package ties in a bundle.

S of arch,'1920. V

. 'OTTO'L. MERTZ. Witness: 7

T. D. BUTLER.

ligned at Chicago, Iiliiioiathis 15th day

